Outlookthe

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A N E W S L E T T E R O F O R L A N D P A R K C H U R C H

7500 W. Sycamore Drive, Orland Park | (708) 532-4900 | Email: opcrc@opcrc.org | www.orlandchurch.com

THIS ISSUEdeacons’ corner page 2

stewardship shorts page 2

preschool news page 3

coffee break page 4

women in the word page 4

life chain sunday page 4

cook county jail ministry page 5

car ministry update page 6

choir notes page 7

church family news page 8 & 9

calendar page 10

Join us for the annual OPCRC Car Show on September 13, from 5:00–7:30 p.m! There will be tons of fun for the whole family, including kids’ activities like a

bouncy house and touch-a-truck, delicious food, and mums for sale. Enjoy an eve-ning with your family as you check out the classic cars, trucks, hot rods, and motor-cycles! Dinner will be by donation. Volunteers are needed to help in many ways – baking, serving, setting up, cleaning up, etc. Forms are available at the information centers or please email Sheila Cook at sheila@opcrc.org.If you have a car to enter, registration is online at www.orlandchurch.com, or email opcarshow1@gmail.com.

OPCRC Car ShowS E P T E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 | 5 : 0 0 - 7 : 3 0 P. M .

Car Show

Bring your whole family for a night of fun!

Don’t forget to check out our church website for more newsand information!

www.orlandchurch.com

September 3: Operation Blessing | opblessing.orgOperation Blessing of Southwest Chicagoland has been servicing the south western suburban communities of Chicago since 1982. Every month, more than 1,400 families receive assistance in the form of food from their food pantry, school supplies, a listening ear, or an encouraging word. They act as a distribution point for food assistance programs from corporate and private donations. Their mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ, feeding people body, mind, and spirit.

September 10: Calvin Seminary Distance Education www.calvinseminary.edu/academics/distance-learning/Calvin Theological Seminary is about preparing faithful, cre-ative and compassionate leaders who will nurture disciples, re-new churches and be bearers of shalom to a world in turmoil. Its Reformed approach to theological education uniquely equips its students to face the complexities of ministry in this rapidly changing world. The Distance Education Program allows students to obtain a high-quality theological education through online course study at times that work best for them throughout each day. Along with 5 day “intensive” course training at Calvin’s campus in Grand Rapids, MI 3 times a year. This program allows the student to gain an edu-cation that fits into there life that otherwise might not be obtainable due to distance or other circumstances.

September 17: World Missions | crwm.orgChristian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) is a missions agency that helps CRC congregations to fulfill the Great Commission. CRWM partners with nearly 1,100 CRC congregations in Canada and the United States as well as with organizations and individuals around the world to proclaim the Gospel, promote healthy churches, and to do their part in advancing God’s Kingdom. CRWM has mis-sionaries serving in more than 20 countries and through partner-ships, their work extends to more than 40 countries. Key strategies include working with global networks and movements to advance the reign of Christ, mobilizing CRC congregations for greater mis-sions involvement, and strengthening Christians in the CRC of North America and its international partners.

September 24: Safe Church Ministry | crcna.org/safechurchSafe Church Ministry is a resource for churches in abuse awareness prevention and response. They help churches to understand and prevent abuse, and where abuse has occurred, to respond with com-passion and justice that promotes healing.

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Deacons’ CornerGIVING GOD OUR SCRAPS

“Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. -Malachi 1:8

God is our greatest authority. We wouldn’t give our earthly authorities our scraps. Yet so often we offer God the leftover portions of our time, money, energy, thought, and emotion. He gets the scraps and rejects – just as the Israelites were offering the worst of their animals in sacrifice.

It must have been a burden to care for a blind or lame animal. The temptation to sacrifice such an animal would be very real. Wouldn’t a blind or lame animal suit God’s purposes just as well as any other animal?

We face a similar temptation. We pray with the five extra minutes we might have and aren’t sure what else we can do with that time. We help with a service project on a Saturday that is “free” on our calendar. We’re happy to tithe as long as we have some disposable income. We read that deep religious book if we’re in between novels.

We have to admit, though, that extras aren’t really sacrifices. When we willingly sacrifice time, money, or energy that have value to us, it settles the greater value of God into our hearts and minds. God sacrificed his only Son for us. Certainly he is far more worthy of our best than any earthly authority.

Are you giving your best to him?

Dear Jesus, please forgive us for not treating you according to your full value. We want you to have our best. We want you to have our extras too. We want to be fully yours. Amen.

By Scott DeVries, “Today” Devotional

S E P T E M B E R O F F E R I N G S C H E D U L E

STEWARDSHIP

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Preschool News-Ruth Baas, Director

It’s almost time to begin a new year of preschool! En-rollment for the 2017-2018 school year has remained

strong and even grown! We will be welcoming at least 55 children to Orland Park Christian Preschool when the doors open in September. As of this writing, there are 29 children enrolled in the Monday/Wednesday/Friday four-year-old class and 26 children en-rolled in the Tuesday/Thursday three-year-old class. Thirty children is the maxi-mum number we can have in our morning classes according to square footage requirements by DCFS. Our numbers have steadily been growing since 2009 and this is our largest group since then. We are looking forward to a fantastic year of learning and growing together as God’s children! May God be glorified in all we do!

The summer of construction has been completed on the preschool wing and clean-up is in progress. We are grateful to church custodian Rick Schultz, church administrator Bob Deckinga, Ken Speelman of the As-pen Group, and our teaching staff for making sure the preschool is clean and ready for school to begin. On Wednesday and Thursday, September 6 and 7, the chil-dren will come to school for one hour from 10-11 a.m. for Family Visit Days. They are looking forward to bringing their families in to school with them on these days and meeting the other preschoolers with their families. They will also meet the teachers, drop off their supplies, make a craft, and play a game to explore the many different learning areas in our classrooms.

The first day of regular classes will be held on Monday, September 11 for the four-year-old children and Tues-day, September 12 for the three-year-old children. We plan to spend time learning and appreciating the themes “God Made Me,” “God Made my Family,” and “God Made My Friends” during the month of September.

Due to the growing number of students, our teaching staff needs to be increased from last year. One new teacher has been hired to work with the three-year-

old class – we welcome Mrs. Cindy Schipma who will be joining Mrs. Brenda Harms, Mrs. Barb Vree, Mrs. Lisa Cavanaugh, and Mrs. Ruth Baas on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Our Monday/Wednesday/Friday staff returns from last year made up of Mrs. Ruth Baas, Mrs. Brenda Harms, Mrs. Janna Kuyvenhoven, and

Mrs. Barb Vree. We have had to say goodbye to last year’s teacher aide, Mrs. Mary Vos. Thank you

Mary for being so wonderful with the chil-dren and for all your help for the teach-

ers. As a teaching staff, we are grateful to God for the blessing of working together in the joy of sharing the love of Jesus with so many children from our church, other churches, and

our surrounding community. To see photos of the teachers and learn more

about our school, please visit our web-site at www.orlandchurch.com, click on the

heading “Get Connected” and then “Preschool.” Also available on our website is a fabulous video of our preschool in action filmed and produced by our friend Josh at JKS Productions.

Please remember the preschool ministry at Orland Park Christian Reformed Church with your prayers and your support. Join us in praying that the children who attend our school will experience the love of Jesus, and that they will come to know and love Him as they learn. Our mission is to plant seeds of faith in God and positive Christian values into the hearts and lives of the children through everyday lessons and activities. Daily Bible stories are a very special part of our curriculum. We also pray that the families of the children will experience the love of Jesus through us and their children.

Thank you for your continued interest and support! We hope to see you for dinner at the Family Classics Night with the Car Show on Wednesday, September 13 from 5-7 p.m. We will serve up a delicious dinner and your donations will be used to support Orland Park Christian Preschool. Come and enjoy lots of fun activities for the whole family!

R E A D Y T O W E L C O M E A N E W S C H O O L Y E A R !

Orland Park Christian

Growing in Faith and Learning

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

“ T H E T R U T H P R O J E C T ” S T U D Y W I L L B E G I N O N O C T O B E R 1 1

“Women in the Word” to Begin New Study

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Life Chain Sunday

Dear Sisters in Christ,

Orland Park Church has stepped forward in faith, embarking on a major remodel of our church building for the future generations!

Although construction will continue through the fall, we have an exciting year planned in Coffee Break! Mark your calendars, and invite a friend or neighbor to join you on Wednesday, October 11. We will meet together in the gym beginning at 9:30 am for snacks and fellowship. At 9:45 am, class will begin, followed by a time of discussion and prayer.

This year we will start by studying “The Truth Project.” The Truth Project is a DVD-based curriculum. This study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective. Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life. As it has been throughout history, God continues to call ordinary people to make an eternal difference in our world.

Coffee Break is a wonderful opportunity to make friends in a small group setting. It’s a place where women meet to study the Bible, connect with Christian women, and grow in the faith to-gether. No previous Bible knowledge is necessary.

We meet every Wednesday morning from 9:30 – 11:00 AM, October–April, with breaks for the holidays. A nursery is available for infants and toddlers; and a Story Hour program is offered for children ages 3-6 years old. This is a wonderful program of Bible stories, crafts and play time. If you have a child that will be attend-ing either the nursery or Story Hour program, please let Jenny Kamin know at (708) 822-7725 or jkamin5711@gmail.com so she can plan accordingly. Thanks!

This is going to be an amazing journey as we are all “under con-struction” in the spiritual sense, and this year our building is under construction in the physical sense too!

We look forward to seeing you on October 11!

Need more info? Contact Carol Venhuizen at (708) 516-9627 or carolvancb@aol.com.

You are invited to a new “Women In The Word” Bible study: Jonah by Pris-cilla Shirer. The 7-week study will be held on Mondays starting October 16. Please watch for more information.

Mark your calendar for October 1, 2:00–3:30 pm when we will silently witness for an end to abortion. Our church’s location is on the sidewalk in front of the Patio Restaurant: 7830 W. 159th Street, Orland Park. Pick up a sign there from Henry and Grace Kamp, bring a chair, and join nearly 1900 other locations across North America.

More than 90 percent of women who have had abortions say they wish they hadn’t, and they wouldn’t have if they’d received the right information.

The Cook County Jail ministry is a new opportu-nity that began in May, 2017, to provide Bibles and

Christian books to detainees of the Cook County Jail, located at 28th Street and California in Chicago.

THE PROGRAM

This opportunity began when a colleague of mine told me how he was bringing books from his local library to disperse in the jail. This idea was the inspiration behind this ministry to provide Bibles and Christian literature to inmates who could benefit from having a Bible of their own to study during their incarceration.

Since starting in May, about 300 Bibles and books have been given by OPCRC members. My job as a medical social worker has allowed me to distribute about 200 books and Bibles to inmates so far.

The demands and needs of these detainees is great. Many have been to jail repeatedly, and some have seri-ous mental health conditions and experience many barriers to a normal life. Once released, many experi-ence homelessness, substance abuse, job loss, family problems, limited understanding of how to support themselves, and a serious spiritual void in their lives.

The results of the Bible and book distribution have been astonishing. The books leave my hands faster than I can provide them. I will likely have already dis-tributed the last 100 Bibles and books by the time you read this.

MINISTRY NEEDS

If you have soft-covered Bibles (the smaller, the better) or Christian books that you would like to donate to the ministry, please bring them to church and place them in the clear box in the gym marked “Cook County Jail Ministry.”

If you would like, you can include a few verses of a favorite Bible text. In the past, I’ve shared Psalm 9:9: “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in

times of trouble.” After sharing the verse, I then explain that the Bible is theirs to keep and read each day.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for men and women in jail that they may come to ac-cept Jesus Christ as their Lord and

Savior, or, if they are already Christians, that their faith may be strengthened through the reading of their Bible or Christian literature. Pray that they will be encour-aged knowing that people are praying for them.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THIS MINISTRY!

Cook County Jail Ministry

-Kent Hook

A N E W O P P O R T U N I T Y T O S H A R E C H R I S T T H R O U G H B I B L E S A N D C H R I S T I A N L I T E R A T U R E

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O ur car ministry is the absolute best choice for people looking to donate a vehicle. This is because we distribute the vehicle to

needy families instead of auctioning vehicle for cash.

• Ifyoudonateyourcartoanon-profitagencythatauctionsorsellsthe vehicle for donation income, you will receive a percentage of the auction or sale price as a charitable tax deduction.

• Ifyoudonateyourcartoanon-profitagencythatinspects,re-pairs, and distributes the vehicle to a needy family, (such as the Orland Park Church Car Ministry) you will receive a percentage of the vehicle’s fair market value (referred to as the Private Party Value) as a charitable tax deduction.

Since we distribute cars to needy families, the person who donates a vehicle to the Orland Park Church Car Ministry will receive a higher value as a charitable tax deduction, based on the fair market value of the vehicle, and not the auction or sale price.

Car Ministry UpdateSince our last newsletter report, the Car Ministry has helped 20 families with needed transportation within area churches. We currently have 25+ applicants waiting for assistance. Please continue to promote vehicle donations to the Car Ministry when you have the opportunity.

01-28-17: 2003 Town&Country Minivan To: Faith Bible Church, Joliet

02-01-17: 2004 Merc Monterey Minivan To: Roger Basick missionary family/OPCRC

02-18-17: 2004 Mazda MPV Minivan To: Confidential member of a local church

02-20-17: 2003 Dodge Stratus, 2-door To: Calvin CRC, Oak Lawn

02-22-17: 2007 Saturn Vue 4-door To: Moody Theological Seminary Student

03-04-17: 2003 Chrysler Voyager To: Orland Park CRC

03-11-17: 2003 Ford Windstar Minivan To: City Lights Church, Chicago

04-20-17: 2007 Ford Focus, 5-Spd To: Confidential member of a local church

04-26-17: 2002 Chrysler Concord To: Crossroads Church, Monticello

04-29-17: 1998 Honda Accord 4-door To: House of Wisdom Ministries, Chicago

05-03-17: 2007 Jeep Patriot 4WD To: Missionary family, Tres Cantos, Spain

05-17-17: 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis To: Emmanuel CRC, Sauk Village

06-09-17: 2006 Honda Odyssey To: Missionary family to Honduras

06-13-17: 2005 Dodge Grd Caravan To: Empowerment Christian Center, Chicago

06-16-17: 2003 Toyota Camry LE To: Christ Church, Lansing

07-01-17: 2005 Volvo S80 4-door To: Parkview Church, Orland Park

07-12-17: 2004 Merc Monterey Minivan To: Christ Church, Lansing

07-19-17: 2004 Dodge Stratus To: Living Springs Community Church

07-21-17: 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis To: Lighthouse Church, Alsip

07-29-17: 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt To: New Life Church, New Lenox

RECENT VEHICLE DISTRIBUTIONS

VEHICLE DONATIONS ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED AT THIS TIME!

ENCOURAGING WORDS RECEIVED...

-Bruce Harnew

You can be a part of God’s plan for someone in need of transportation. Please take some “Vehicle Donations Needed” promotional cards and pass them around to neighbors, friends, and co-workers, to help us with car ministry promotions. Look for these white promo cards on the information center.

Call the Orland Park Church office at 708-532-4900 ext. 300 for more information about the Car Ministry at Orland Park Church.

We received this follow-up from the recipient of the 2004 Dodge Stratus distributed on July 19, 2017:

Wow! Once again thank you! thank you! thank you. This is indeed a gift from God and a blessing to my life. May this ministry and the donors be blessed abundantly. I have been given a new perspective in life. This gift encourages me to study hard and finish my senior year strong, so that I can give back to the community in return. I will make sure to use this gift wisely and hopefully bless another person in need, in the future.

Orland Choir NotesS I N G T O T H E L O R D A N E W S O N G !

SING! SING! SING! The Bible contains over four hundred references to singing and fifty direct commands to sing. As a choir we want to obey those commands! It is our joy to use our voices to praise our Creator and Redeemer. The songs we sing are an expression of the desire of our heart to live a life of worship. Our goal is to sing with an “undistract-ing excellence” (John Piper’s phrase), always pointing us to Christ – the One who is worthy of all praise.

Do you have a song in your heart? Do you want to sing his praise every day of your life? Then please consider joining the choir. We are a ‘big’ small group! We are united in our love for Christ and in our love for singing his praise. Everyone is welcome!

Please watch the bulletin for news about our rehearsal schedule as the renovation continues throughout the fall.

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:3

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-Carol Vroom

RootedGROWING IN CHRIST

OPCRC FALL MINISTRIES Fall ministry kick-off at OPCRC will be in October this year, due to the church building project. We have many exciting

things coming, so watch for more details!

ELIM’S DUTCH FESTIVAL COMING SEPTEMBER 23!

Come one, come all to Elim’s 22nd Dutch Festival on September 23! Dutch Festival features great Dutch and American foods, fun entertain-ment, Dutch Village shops, and a bunch of fun activities for kids of all ages.

Festivities begin with a pancake breakfast at 7:30 am, and the day’s fun concludes at 4:00 pm.

Dutch Festival is held on the grounds of Elim Christian Ser-vices (13020 S. Central Ave., Palos Heights). Free parking is conve-niently located nearby.

All proceeds benefit Elim’s children and adults with disabilities. Ques-tions? Contact Elim at (708) 293-6509 or visit www.elimcs.org for more information.

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Orland Park Church Family NewsHappy Birthday

Hil Muhlena 86 years September 4

Al Bosma 86 years September 7

Gean Krueger 85 years September 11

Ken Mels 83 years September 13

William Kamp 85 years September 18

Louis Haan 83 years September 20

Rich Overzet 80 years September 23

Arlene Hoekstra 82 years September 24

Marcia Mels 81 years September 24

George Boerema 90 years September 24

We celebrate with Allison (Stoub) and Neil Krooswyk who were married on July 8. Their new address is 8740 Cottage Grove Ave, Highland, IN 46322.

We rejoice with Heather (Kamp) and Andrew Bottomly who were united in marriage on August 19.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !

SYMPATHIES

We express our Christian sympathy to:

Cal and Alice Drenth as they mourn the loss of Alice’s sister-in-law, Sylvia Drenth, who passed away on August 1.

Scott and Lisa Cavanaugh and their family as they mourn the loss of Scott’s sister, Susan Suwyn, who passed away on August 1 in Michigan at the age of 54.

The family of Dorothy King, who passed away on August 3 at the age of 92.

Jay and Elizabeth Prins as they mourn the loss of Jay’s grandmother, Cora Prins, who passed away on August 6.

Scott and Deb Mels and Don and Gerry Van Dyk and their families, as they mourn the loss of Deb and Don’s brother, Brent Van Dyk, who passed away suddenly on August 11 at the age of 54.

Doreen Wood, who mourns the loss of her brother, Ralph, who passed away on August 18.

Jessie Alderden Jim Boerema Dan Davis Cal DeBoer Doris Doorn

Arlene Hoekstra Bob Hofstra Annette Hulford Bill Kamp Sr. Marty Kuiken

Kyle Kuiper Clair Laning Erling Ouwerkerk Mary Sasveld George Schaaf

Al Siegers Art Sluis Carol Van Kuiken Katie Vree

P R A Y E R R E Q U E S T S

Please remember these people in prayer who are recovering from recent hospitalizations, who are shut-ins, or who are dealing with other health problems.

To request prayer or give thanks for answered prayers, please send your request by email to prayer@opcrc.org or contact the church office at (708) 532-4900.

Orland Park Church Family News

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Happy AnniversaryMartin & Berdyne Kuiken September 1 55 years

Roy & Cheryl Van Eck September 2 45 years

Clarence & Marlene Vos September 11 58 years

John & Julie Van Wyk September 13 35 years

Mark & Beth Solle September 14 10 years

Robert & Blanche Staal September 15 61 years

Calvin & Alice Drenth September 22 56 years

Ray & Bev Leerar September 25 52 years

Skip & Kim Van Ryn September 26 25 years

John & Audrey Laskey September 30 50 years

Your kindness, compassion and gen-erosity during the loss of my son, Ron Sasveld, who died suddenly at his home on July 10 brought a wonderful level of peace to our family. His funeral service was beautiful with many from church traveling to be with us. While we grieve for ourselves and are very sad Ron didn’t live as long as we wanted, we take comfort in knowing he isn’t alone ~ “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). You’ve shown true friendship and we are very grateful to each of you. -Mary Sasveld, Sue Principali, Glenn & Cindi Sasveld

To Our Special Church Family, Thank you all so much for your love, prayers and cards. It is great to be so loved. Thank you Pastor Dan for your visits and phone calls. Praying for me and with me meant a great deal to me. It’s been a tough journey, but my lungs are now clear. We are thanking God for healing. Love and blessings, -Arlene Hoekstra, Bob too.

This has been a difficult year for me with being very sick twice, the death of my daughter-in-law, Trudy Hulford, and also my sister-in-law, Pearl Vis, and now pneumonia over my birthday. I have received so many cards for each of these occasions, along with many prayers. Thank you, Pastor Dan and all my caring friends. It’s so nice to know so many people are praying for you. Thanks everyone, -Annette Hulford

Jessie Alderden is in good spirits and getting stronger every day. She will be celebrating her 98th birthday on Saturday, August 12. Her Address is: 12500 Renaissance Cir.,Homer Glen, IL 60491.Her phone number is 708.645.2171. She thanks the congrega-tion for their prayers. -Jim Alderden (Jessie’s son)

Thank you to Pastor Dan for his com-forting words and to our church family for the cards and comfort we received as our sister-in-law went to her heav-enly home. -Cal and Alice Drenth

THANK YOU OPCRC!

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES BEGIN ON OCTOBER 1! ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR YOUR CHILD IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE!

school

opcrc

God’s Posse Topic Night 7:00 pm

Combined Service at Palos CRC 6:00 pmNo PM Service here at OPCRC!

Mission Committee 4:30 pm

Choir Rehearsal 4:30 pm

Choir Rehearsal 4:30 pm

College & Career Christ & Culture Night 6:00 pm

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SEPTEMBER 2017SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Coffee & Comfort 1:00 pm

Men’s Prayer Breakfast – 6:30 am

OPCRC Car Show 5:00-7:30 pm

Men’s Prayer Breakfast – 6:30 am

Men’s Prayer Breakfast – 6:30 am

Men’s Prayer Breakfast – 6:30 am

Cadet Parent Meeting & Registration 7:00 pm

God’s Posse Kick-Off Cookout 4:00 pm

Youth Group Kick-Off: Rolling Relay Race 7:00 pm at Tinley campus of SCCS

Admin Elders 7:00 pm

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Admin Elders 7:00 pm

Council Mtg 7:30Shepherding Elders/Deacons Meeting 8:00 pm

Submissions for the October 2017 issue of the Outlook are due on Sunday, September 17. Please drop them off in the office or email denise@opcrc.org.

Prayer Time 7:00 pm

Prayer Time 7:00 pm

Prayer Time 7:00 pm

Prayer Time 7:00 pm

LABOR DAY Church offices closed.

Coffee Time With Pastor Derek (Victorian Village) 9:00 am

Car Ministry7:00 pmSunday School Teacher Orientation7:00 pm

Illiana Cadet Campout

Illiana Cadet Campout (returning Sunday)

Youth GroupLOFT 7:00 pm

Small Group Leaders Training 2:00 pm